Disappointments and best Banh Mi in Saigon, Vietnam

Even though I did not get much sleep last night, I wake up in a good mood for food hunting. I am hoping to find a few dishes that I have been dying to try since doing research about Vietnam. It is maybe too early but I will try my luck anyway. I cross the park where locals are doing their daily exercises. Most shops are closed but I see a few restaurants open and food stalls. I stop at a restaurant serving Bún riêu, one of the dishes on my list. Bún riêu is a tomato broth based soup topped with crab paste and served with meats, tofu and blood. The lady serves me a big bowl of soup and a few herbs for garnish. Something bothers me, it doesn't not smell nor tastes fresh. I'm all for exotic foods, I salivate for fermented foods, I enjoy sour tastes. But this tastes just plain bad. I eat the noodles anyway, try the meats, tofu and blood all seems fine. I am the only one eating in the restaurant, it is quite early, lunch service as not started yet. I look around, maybe it's me, maybe I just do not like the taste of that dish, plain and simple. I spot a few other almost full bowls on the tables, maybe the food really is bad. Anyway, I pay the lady and leave. What a disappointment. After this incident, my mood swings, I just want to lock myself in the hostel and forget about the chaos of Saigon. I stop at a bakery, expensive and not too appetizing. I buy a chocolate cake anyway and return to my hostel passing aggressive vendors and arrogant tourists down the street.

To my surprise, even that chocolate cake is disgusting. Damn you Danish bakery!

After resting for a while and doing some research, I decide to go for a bbq pork banh mi at Banh Mi 37 as seen in one of Mark Wiens videos. It is not far from my hostel so I decide to walk. Upon arriving I am greeted by the delicious smell of bbq:ed pork. I xin chao the lady who tells me in Vietnamese that they start at 4 pm. I thank her and tells her that I will be back. It is 3:30 pm, I stroll around the streets and stop at a convenience store to buy a few snacks and fruits. I am back in front of the banh mi vendor a bit before 4. I am the first customer to be there but I fail to be the first in line so a few people go before me. The vendor gets delivered a huge basket of fresh baguette, it smells wonderful! To get those banh mi really is a fight, it is so popular that people try to jump in line before you. A man on a motorbike was given a plastic bag full of sandwiches, 10 to be exact (yes I counted). I am scared that the baguette runs out before I could make my order. It finally is my turn, "Xin Chao" I make the V sign for "Two banh mi please", at the same time a man on a motorbike delivers an other huge basket filled with baguettes. The smell... That's it, I have my banh mi (36000 Dongs), I said goodbye to the nice girl with who I had a quick chat while queuing and run back to my hostel to devour those delectable spicy sandwiches. Cozy evening watching Vietnamese TV while eating snacks and jack-fruit and planning for my future trip to Thailand.